Are there any Arab or Islamic countries where children are not brainwashed to hate Israel and Jews?

All of this happened only after an education at MIT, in the US.Honestly, for the longest time, I would not say anything because I didn't want to be aligned with the Iranian regime, because I truly do not approve them at all. I'm not against Jews, and my opinion about Jewish people has not changed. I am against fanatical religious idiots who do anything in the name of religion. I am against Netanyahu ( like many Israeli's are) because he is like Bush and Ahmadinejad. I am against IDF brutal attacks. But I also am against US military intervention and many other things. That doesn't make me Anti-semitic or Anti-Jewish or even Anti-Israel. It makes me someone interested in a fair peaceful world.

So even though the 'brainwash' may happen, it is not effective. Once people grow up, if they are brought up with ethical values and care about well-being of humans, and sees them as equals, the case of Israel is something that one would not approve.

Answer by Sam Sinai:

I was raised in Iran, not Arab, but yet very islamic in many aspects. The 'brainwash' you mention happens with many things, including the islamic teachings, how to behave, how to dress. I can tell you they haven't been successful, if it were, you wouldn't see this on the street:

I don't believe in hijab or any religious belief for that matter. But even if I did, in Iran, we have NEVER been brainwashed to hate Jews. All of the Islamic teachings I've received in school require the muslims to respect and honor the belief of followers of an Abrahamic faith, as well as the Zoroastrians. Anyone telling you anything else is either ignorant or a liar. The number of times I have been tested on this in school is uncountable.

I have always thought Jews are amazing people. I read Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" in high school and to this day it is one of my favorite books of all time. I always re-read it when I feel down. I have learned so much from reading people like Valiant, Einstein, Chomsky, etc. Those people I always love and will love.

The story with Israel is different. In Iran, we are constantly brainwashed against the 'Zionist regime', because they are thought to be occupiers and violent. Because we are usually against everything the Iranian government tries to spoon feed us, before moving to the US, I actually thought that all of that is propaganda and not worth following. I never wrote a single anti-Israel line during my time in Iran, neither did the matter interest me. It was always a pain in the butt when I wanted to watch sports news and I had to wait till the regular news piece on how many palestinians died today is over. When our school principal would bring an Israeli flag and put it on the ground for us to stomp on it, my friends and I and most of the kids jumped over it. People in Iran, the majority ( not the fanatics on TV) really don't care much. They think this issue is not relevant to them. They think national interest dictates that we do not help Hamas or Hezbollah and they are honestly pissed that the government spends money there. So do I.

Then I moved to US. Went to MIT, gained access to free information and bright individuals who researched the topic. The story took a different turn. I realized that, well, by all measurements the Israeli government is treating the Palestinians very very unfairly. I realized that it is a government based on racial discrimination. I realized that US government protects Israel from punishment by the international community, because of the strong lobby the Israeli's have over here. I think Israel's approach is the cause of a lot of instability in the region. All of this happened only after an education at MIT, in the US. Honestly, for the longest time, I would not say anything because I didn't want to be aligned with the Iranian regime, because I truly do not approve them at all. I'm not against Jews, and my opinion about Jewish people has not changed. I am against fanatical religious idiots who do anything in the name of religion. I am against Netanyahu ( like many Israeli's are) because he is like Bush and Ahmadinejad. I am against IDF brutal attacks. But I also am against US military intervention and many other things. That doesn't make me Anti-semitic or Anti-Jewish or even Anti-Israel. It makes me someone interested in a fair peaceful world.

So even though the 'brainwash' may happen, it is not effective. Once people grow up, if they are brought up with ethical values and care about well-being of humans, and sees them as equals, the case of Israel is something that one would not approve.